Chairperson, hon Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson of the ANC ... [Interjections.] Yes, I am smart ... Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, hon members, honourable guests in the gallery, good afternoon.
I rise to address this House in support of the Budget Vote for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as presented by the hon Minister. Let me start with the underlying legacy of the people's document, the Freedom Charter, which is the blueprint that defines the hopes and aspirations of our people then and now.
The basic policy document of the ruling party, the ANC, in government is the Freedom Charter, which was adopted in 1955 and which directs: "The people shall share in the country's wealth!" [Applause.] The national wealth of our country, the heritage of South Africans, shall be restored to the people.
As the ruling party, the ANC, we have declared 2013 as the year of unity in action towards socioeconomic freedom, and we remain dedicated to ensuring that the wishes of our elders and the people are achieved. Our highly lucrative living marine resources are well managed. Employment levels remain stable and our multibillion rand per annum mainstay fishery sector was recently recognised by the internationally acclaimed Marine Stewardship Council as the best managed fishery in the world. [Applause.]
The official administration and management of our fishery sector is in competent hands and we applaud the recent appointment of an experienced official to act as the deputy director-general of the fisheries branch. In order to sustain stability in management at fisheries we call for this appointment, Minister, to be made permanent to stabilise the fishery sector. [Applause.]
As we enter the second phase of economic transformation and empowerment in the fishing industry, we are aware that up to 60% of all fishing rights allocated today are allocated to the previously disadvantaged people. However, we are also aware that this industry remains confronted by serious structural challenges that come from apartheid. [Interjections.]
A handful of big companies still own and control the bulk of the industry's catch, process, marketing and infrastructure, while many post-1994 entrants have been allocated economically unviable quotas ... [Interjections.] ... coming from the apartheid regime, which are not capable of independent delivery without the existing infrastructure and marketing network of the big companies that have controlled the industry since apartheid - for 80 years. [Interjections.]
We also note that after 18 years ... [Interjections] You know nothing, because you were not there. You were very comfortable. You don't know poverty! We know that after 18 years of freedom the gender-based allocation of fishing rights to women and/or shareholding in existing fishing enterprises to females is almost nonexistent - you women!
As we usher in amendments to the Marine Living Resources Act to recognise the rights of small-scale fishers, as we move to reallocate fishing rights that expire in the traditional line fish, oyster, white mussel, hake, handline, tuna, shark, squid and prawn sectors, we are very aware of the need for us to, under the revised general ... [Interjections.] We must revise because of your apartheid laws. We need, under the revised general and sector-specific policies, to attend to the structural challenges that continue to economically undermine transformation in the real sense. [Interjections.] We had to have transformation policies because of apartheid.
We know that South Africa as a fish-producing nation of first resort is not extracting its maximum socioeconomic development potential from its natural living marine resource endowments. The wholesale value of our marine produce is estimated to be R6 billion per annum. However, its collective local and international retail value is several times this - but not to the poorest of the poor.
As the ANC-led government, we therefore need to ensure that increased financial equity, value-added processing, packaging and direct international marketing of proudly South African fish brands is achieved from our national base and not internationally by secondary fish processors and marketers ... [Interjections.]